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Ben Hollerbach

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #50 on: March 20, 2024, 02:59:17 PM »

 Imagine bunkers being placed to have a high visual impact but in some cases rarely hit into. This might be called strategic.

Why does that feature need to be a bunker, or better yet why does it need to be filled with sand? If you want to intimidate a player to avoid a feature in a strategic way, a grass bunker can be much more effective and much more evenly challenging than a sand filled one.

It seems as if too frequently the architects reaches for a splash of white sand when they want contrast, rather than exploring the rest of the color palette available to them. This seems to be a rather artificial and superfluous choice, especially when sand is not a common component in the native soil of the course.

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #51 on: March 20, 2024, 03:34:34 PM »
Ben,


Langford wrote his piece on golf in the Chicago District and noted that sand was not natural, and that maybe some other natural landforms should be used much more.  The idea clearly didn't stick. :)


Also, the idea of building bunkers after a few years of play went the way of the dodo bird once first impression marketing became the norm, but some courses still tweak in similar ways over the years. 


Guys like Ross didn't do much superfluous bunkering, given their legendary Scottish thrift.  Mac and Tilly were less constrained and more into aesthetics until the depression taught them both the value of economy in bunkering, an attitude you can see reflected in my posts.  I am sure there are some old gca types (like me....) looking at the new work from 1990 that used and lost a lot of visual only sand bunkers, and thinking the next gen of gca's are forgetting the lessons some learned in harder times.


When I first started in the biz (1977 in Chicago) all the courses we worked on had sand bunker remnants short off the tee and other places.  I actually kind of liked them, especially where their shadow patterns highlighted other course features.


I used a lot of grass bunkers over the years.  I recall one remodel where a good player lamented that sand bunkers were easier for him.  I explained that grass bunkers were harder for low handicappers and sand bunkers were harder for high handicappers, and that was exactly why I used them so much.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

mike_malone

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #52 on: March 20, 2024, 04:28:09 PM »
Ben,


 I agree that sand bunkers aren’t native to inland courses but I am fine with a few. Hollywood has a zillion and I love that course.
AKA Mayday

Michael Morandi

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #53 on: March 20, 2024, 06:51:20 PM »
Take a look at these illustrations of holes at TPC Sawgrass.


https://www.golfdigest.com/gallery/photos_tpccourse


Clearly many bunkers are bigger than need be, impact only the weakest players off the tee and, except for those deemed a waste area, are maintenance nightmares. Bethpage Black had a warning (maybe it still does) suggesting only low handicappers venture on the course. Sawgrass should do the same (maybe it does?) but I’m guessing  they like the revenue from their very high green fees, the hacker be damned. Hope I’m wrong. And, yes, I know a lot of the design is about aesthetics and intimidation.

Jim_Coleman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #54 on: March 20, 2024, 07:01:42 PM »
   If you’re going to put fairway bunker with no aesthetic value 180 yards off the tee, at least let it be on an intersting 350 yard hole. Give every player a chance for a thrill. A 200 yard bunker shot is a fun killer for a higher handicapper.

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bunkers that only punish high handicappers are bad architecture ?
« Reply #55 on: March 21, 2024, 04:18:53 AM »
   If you’re going to put fairway bunker with no aesthetic value 180 yards off the tee, at least let it be on an intersting 350 yard hole. Give every player a chance for a thrill. A 200 yard bunker shot is a fun killer for a higher handicapper.

Shorter hitters want the challenge of coping with features. So called topped shot hazards can be excellent if well placed.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

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